Author Topic: By Jupiter  (Read 75268 times)

Offline Jo

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2017, 02:29:43 PM »
I wondered how long it was going to take to recover from the "welcome to the family Jupiter" celebrations  :wine1: :Lol:



Adam has his lost waxes done in Aussie as it is cheaper. He sends them the drawing file, they do a high quality 'wax' print and then they cast them before posting them round the globe. The quality of the finished pieces speaks for themselves  ::) Yes he will get items done for customers but he normally does bronze, you will have to ask about ali.


My supplier has the ability to do diecast goodies in his garden (he just needs the motivation). Have you thought of doing them as Diecast? And you know Mike Coles does Ali castings, he may have other suggestions. I wonder if you could do ali castings similar to how they make chocolate easter eggs  :noidea:


If only you had asked yesterday  :facepalm: .... the SMEE are had their rummage sale today and someone there may have had other suggestions.

Tangler has a nice stable furnace which might be suitable for the burn out  ;)


Is the original Ali or should it be some sort of Nickel/steel?

Jo

P.S. Don't forget to take it to the Bristol show next year so you can use it to make friends with the works boys you never know what they may be able to come up with.

« Last Edit: October 28, 2017, 05:10:13 PM by Jo »
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Offline Ye-Ole Steam Dude

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #16 on: October 28, 2017, 03:08:16 PM »
WOW and outstanding. Hard to believe the effort that went into that engine. Just beautiful. Being an old pilot and spending a lot of time out at the "grass airport", nothing like hearing a radial engine running. One of the local crop dusters or a friend of mine that had a twin Beachcraft D-18.

Thanks for sharing,
Thomas
Thomas

Offline Jasonb

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #17 on: October 28, 2017, 05:07:08 PM »
As you are likely to put a black finish on the parts does the material matter?

Jo Does Adam have the casting done here or is the whole lot done down under?

Regarding the first photo, I think you will find it more common to strap the engine to your back when Motor paragliding ;)

Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #18 on: October 28, 2017, 05:33:53 PM »
I would always prefer to see well finished, naked material on a model replica, not something hidden by coats of paint and filler. My personal view.

Sculpteo and some of the  3D print houses also offer lost wax casting in various materials. Sounds like the sort of service Adam uses. Sculpteo 3D print the wax, invest it then cast it , all done in house. They were very cagey about shrinkage allowances and would not give any guidance as to what to expect and how to compensate. Said it would end up with 3 to 4 % error, Plus or Minus and I needed to try one and see. They are mostly used for making jewelry rather than precision engine parts. If I needed precision, they advised the mega expensive Laser sintered metal powder route.

Think you are right about paraglider motors

Mike
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #19 on: October 31, 2017, 07:57:46 AM »
One more lead that Neil on ME suggested, looks like they will cast from your own waxes and do Aluminium

http://justcastings.co.uk/what-we-do/casting/

Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #20 on: October 31, 2017, 11:54:44 AM »
Thanks for that link Jason. Justcastings (Jc) look ideal and I will get in touch with them today.

Interestingly, Jc are in Hatton Gardens, the jewelry making district of London, I have also made contact with another jewelry maker in the Brimingham jewelry district. Both firms are happy with casting aluminium and working small quantities.

Only CRO have responded from your original list. They can offer to print a wax from a 3D model. The wax will be printed in New Zealand and shipped back to UK for the foundry work. They can only offer brass/bronze in NZ. Sounds very much like the Sculpteo situation to me.

I will keep you all updated, as finding a good foundry for lost wax casting may be of interest to other MEM members

« Last Edit: October 31, 2017, 12:28:44 PM by Vixen »
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Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #21 on: December 03, 2017, 01:06:34 PM »
I have found from Jason's list, a lost wax foundry who are affordable and willing to work from master patterns rather than printing a 3D model.

I have made a start on the master patterns. There are two required. The first is the core pattern, the pattern will be encased in silicon rubber mold, so that the soluble wax core can be made. The second pattern defines the outside shape and is similarly encased in silicon rubber to form the wax mold. The soluble wax core core is placed inside the outer silicon mold, the wax is injected and the soluble wax dissolved out with water. The wax shell is then invested in a special plaster, given 12 hours in the burnout furnace before the aluminium is pored. A vacuum is applied during the pore to ensure a total fill of the cavity.

These days, I make all my patterns out of acrylic sheet, also known as Pespex or Plexiglass. The pattern is built up from a number of 3mm thick layers of acrylic sheet which are milled to shape on my Emco F1. The layers are solvent welded together using Tensol No 12 cement. The rough pattern halves are then filed to shape and sanded smooth with Wet-n Dry paper.









I made up a simple jig to bevel the joint faces between the two elbows. The pattern parts were roughly filed to the bevel angle and finished by pulling a strip of Wet-n Dry between the jig and the pattern.





When both halves have been beveled to the correct angle, they can be cemented permanently together using the same jig.





More on the Inlet Manifold pattern making to follow in the next installment

Mike

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Online steamer

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #22 on: December 03, 2017, 01:39:35 PM »
Thanks for sharing that!    Nice work!

Dave
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #23 on: December 03, 2017, 03:53:28 PM »
Good to hear one of those links could sort you out Mike, out of interest which one was it?

I'd not heard of the soluble wax before but sounds the ideal way to core a wax and be able to get the core out without damage to the wax or having to do it as two halves. Just hope those lugs on the manifold come out of the silicon OK.

J

Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2017, 04:15:00 PM »
Hi Jason

Out of the list of potential lost wax foundries you provided, I feel most comfortable with, having talked at length with Richard at Abbey Castings. http://www.abbeycasting.co.uk/

Just Castings are in reserve, just in case. http://justcastings.co.uk/what-we-do/casting/

I have used soluble wax on several occasions to core lost wax castings. A typical soluble wax is available on e-bay at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Water-Soluble-Wax-used-in-lost-wax-casting-jewellery-jewellers-silversmithing/221919526624?hash=item33ab6f3ee0:g:ih0AAOSwYHxWJ6~3

It is important to use wax which is soluble in cold tap water and not to try and speed things up by warming the water. The investment wax softens at around 70*C to 80*C and is runny liquid by 100*C. Even the warmth of your fingers can mark the investment wax if you handle it for too long. Always a good idea to cool it in tap water from time to time.

I have decided not to attempt to add the lugs for the spark leads to the casting. They are be screwed in place afterwards.

Mike
« Last Edit: December 03, 2017, 05:03:10 PM by Vixen »
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Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #25 on: December 08, 2017, 07:47:11 PM »
The patterns for the soluble wax core and main wax have been completed and given their first coat of primer. It's amazing how the small blemishes show up, but nothing that cannot be fixed with some knifing filler. The base and cylinder flanges were machined in acrylic and cemented in place.

Next things to be made will be the silicon rubber molds into which the soluble wax is injected to create the core The wax core is then positioned within the main mold and the hard red wax injected, it surrounds the soluble wax core. The soluble wax is dissolved out in cold water leaving the thin shell of the inlet manifold which is then sent to the foundry for investment and casting.

Mike



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Offline Jasonb

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #26 on: December 08, 2017, 07:51:44 PM »
Looking good :)

Online Vixen

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #27 on: December 12, 2017, 05:01:09 PM »
The next task was to mix and pour the silicon resin into the mold boxes.  It is a 24 hour cure and one always worries that something will go wrong, that it will not set-off, and you have to sort out a very expensive sticky mess. The first photo shows some kitchen chemistry, I mixed 600ml of silicon resin plus 10% catalyst for the two molds. The next two photos show the two fully cured molds after they were cut open to remove the pattern pieces. The rough jagged cut is intentional as it aligns the two halves better than a smooth cut. There are also three plastic dowels to align each mold. The final photo shows the core pattern sitting inside the main mold, there is about 2mm clearance (wall thickness) all around the core. I have some soluble wax on order to make the nine cores. It is expensive, so I waited to see if the molds were good before I ordered the soluble wax. Now I am thinking about the big manifold between the carburetor and the induction spiral.










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Offline mikecole7

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #28 on: December 12, 2017, 07:11:24 PM »
Well done Mike your work is brilliant, It will great to see it at the Bristol show

    Mike


Offline Jasonb

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Re: By Jupiter
« Reply #29 on: December 12, 2017, 07:32:42 PM »
They came out quite nicely. Do you use any form of vacuum degassing? I did notice some bubbles in the moulds. I know from when I used to paint model figures which were mainly cast in PU resin using silicon moulds that vac degassing was always advised both when making the mould and also casting the PU figures.

 

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